Masters Athletes Enjoy Gorgeous Sunny Cross County Race Day at Richmond
The sun shone bright, but temperatures were in the low 40’s for the two Masters races—lots of arm sleeves and even a few knit hats made an appearance! The turf was dry with no mud. The Overall Masters races were, for the first time, selection races. Funding was available for the first Female and first Male finisher Overall in the Masters races to compete in the first ever WMA Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in February.
The Women’s race was first, at 10:30AM. April Lund, who was one of top medal winners at the WMA Outdoor Championships in Finland, was eager to get her first USATF National Cross Country win as a Masters athlete and become the selected athlete to represent the USA in Australia. Brennan Liming and Fiona Bayly did their best. But Lund went to the front early and could not be stopped. She won the 6 km race in 22:03, with Liming 2nd at 22:42 and Bayly 3rd in 23:10. It is rare for a 55-year-old to make a Masters podium, but Bayly did it. Lund was proud to be the winner and selected as the first funded Masters athlete for a World Cross Country Championship. An hour later the men’s race went off. Ben Bruce was going for his first Masters Cross Country Championship as well. His wife, Stephanie, would try to punch her ticket for Bathurst later in the Women’s Open Race. Like Lund, Bruce was determined to drive the train from the front. He broke out of a 4-runner lead pack after the first loop and no one could go with him. Bruce took the win and the funding for Australia, clocking a nifty 25:00 over the 8 Km course. Neil McDonagh claimed 2nd 26 seconds later, with Chris Pruitt 3rd at 25:58.
Age-Grading identifies the strongest runners, adjusted for age, in the race. The podium in the Women’s race included Bayly in 3rd with a 90.1, Nora Cary 66 23:10 at 92.7, and, in 1st place, with a 94.7%, Kathy Martin, running 27:15 at age 71! On the Men’s side, all three winners were from a narrow age band from 60-61. Rick Lee 61 29:41 took 3rd with 87.7, with John Van Danacker 60 29:15 2nd with 88.2. Nat Larson, a 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year, claimed the crown at age 60, with a sterling 28:33 for 90.4%.
Age Division [5-year] National Championship winners in the Women’s 6 Km race included the age grading winner, Kathy Martin, 71, an 11-time USATF Masters Harrier of the Year in her 50’s and 60’s. Bayly enjoyed her second consecutive win in the 55-59 division, while Samantha Forde in 50-54 had her first age division Cross Country win at 24:49. Doreen McCoubrie 61 enjoyed her first division Cross Country win in several years with a 25:31. She has had a number of road wins in recent years. Andrea McCarter, 76, finished 2nd at Club Cross but got the 75-79 win today in 48:26. Joyce Hodges–Hite 85 was the oldest winner. In the Men’s 8 Km race, Jacques Sallberg cemented his position as the best of the 45-49 harriers by passing David Angell in the final 500 meters and kicking away for a 15-second win in 26:43. Gary Ostwald 76 used the same tactic, sprinting away from Dave Glass for a 6 second victory. Robert Qualls 70 continued to dominate his division, winning by over 90 seconds in 34:08. David Westenberg 65 got his second consecutive Cross Country win, by over a minute, in 31:27. Ahrlin Bauman 50 and Mike Nahom 55 have been known as strong support runners on their powerful Bowerman and Greater Springfield teams respectively. Today they notched division wins in 27:28 and 28:29. Ed Bligh 80 was the oldest winner.
In the team competitions, the Greater Philadelphia Track Club took the Women’s and Men’s 40 Plus victories, along with W 60+. The Atlanta Track Club carried the day in W70 and M60. The Shore AC, Greater Springfield Harriers, and Boulder Road Runners claimed wins in W50+, M50+ and M70+ respectively. The Colonial Road Runners, the ‘hometown team’, finished 2nd in Men’s 40+ and 3rd in the Women’s 40+ race.
Submitted by,
Paul Carlin Masters
LDR Content Creator
www.runningprof.com
